Food plot planning

[sponsy12]

Just a heads up for you guys without a tractor but have an atv. A good option for a disc, if it is your only option, is acme rents has the antler king sodbuster disk that you can rent. I think it is like $70 a day or something. Last year after I had burnt down some crp with powermax and another desiccant mixed together I went in with that and on the first pass it was down 4-5", and with every pass after that it became a little deeper and a little more mellow. I used a 650 fourwheeler in low and it pulled hard but got the job done.

 

[BrokenBackJack]

I put an AD on bisman for a buddy and it is here in our classifieds with a link to bisman. Tractor, loader, snowblower, mower, sprayer, land leveler, tiller, and bale fork.
Perfect for food plots

 

[Putz ND]

A little food plot work today. Tilled and tried a bag of antler king trophy clover of some kind - dad's choice this year. I just love the smell of freshly worked black dirt before a rain... Also stood up his " new office" and snapped a photo of "the boys". My 4 year old wanted to get his sleeping bag out and spend the night

 

[MarbleEyez]

How's everyone coming on their food plots this year? Just finished my soybeans up on Saturday.

 

[KDM]

The farmers planted Corn on two sides of me and Soybeans on the other two so I'm set up REAL WELL!! (Grin)

 

[LBrandt]

Didn't cost much did it.

 

[KDM]

Nope!

 

[LBrandt]

Given the way crop rotation goes now days you should be set for life.:;:rockit

 

[db-2]

Been just about a week and soybeans and corn are out of ground. white clover with some alfalfa in back ground and will put brassicas in early August. Apple trees did flower a bunch. Other plots just brassicas for August. db

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Started doing this in 95 when the brother and I said no more chasing deer but lets see if the deer come to us. And it work way beyond expectation.
In my area a lot of people are now doing it and only hunting their plots with bows. One gets a whole different outlook on hunting after doing this and it is really nice to see all the people doing this. I feel nothing but good comes from this over the days when we hunted by vehicle, walking miles and fighting with neighbors or other hunters over the stupid enough reasons. db

 

[FishinRN]

I started my 2 plots from scratch this spring breaking virgin ground in 1 spot and land in the middle of an evergreen grove not farmed since the trees were planted about 20 years ago. Sent soil samples and was pleased with the results. I planted clover after 2 vigorous diskings in April, I think a combination of cooler, drier, and windy conditions greatly compromised my germination. I have a good deal of regrowth to battle as well and have been spraying roundup on the other half of these plots to prepare for later summer brassica planting. I think I will check in 1 more week and unless the clover starts to really take off I will just spray the whole thing and reseed all with brassica for this year. I seriously underestimated the amount of regrowth I would get, wish I would have sprayed roundup last year before breaking ground this spring. I would definitely second the idea of planting something roundup ready the first attempt. Despite less than extraordinary results on my first attempt, I have really had a good time working on this project.

 

[db-2]

Spraying round up in the fall as with any chemical really does a good job of killing vegetation off for the next spring.
But fishin as you stated one can really have a good time working on this and the results will be great over time.

Their are chemicals for clover and have found that round up does a poor job on certain weeds including clover. My one plot of clover is fine but another has grass growing in it so I plan to shortly to put some round up on the clover and see if the grass dies and the clover lives. May set it back somewhat but hope it will work. db

 

[Lungdeflator]

My uncle is spraying our 1/2 acre plot back in MN this weekend. We don't know what we are doing, just flying by the seat of our pants. I think the plan this year is to spray this weekend, burn and then disc next weekend, then spray again the following weekend. We don't mess with fetilizer or lime at all. The monster mix from frigid forage does well for us and produces softball size turnips.

The first year we did the plot, the land hadn't been tilled in over 30 years. We paid a neighbor to come break ground for the first time. Since then, I bought a 5ft flip over ATV disc that does the work with my Foreman. Then we broadcast seed and light drag with an old metal mattress frame. Really simple and cheap for us, but stuff grows. The plot is only 100 yards from our cabin and the only guy that hunts over it is my 86 YO Grandpa.

 

[MarbleEyez]

Been just about a week and soybeans and corn are out of ground. white clover with some alfalfa in back ground and will put brassicas in early August. Apple trees did flower a bunch. Other plots just brassicas for August. db

- - - Updated - - -

Started doing this in 95 when the brother and I said no more chasing deer but lets see if the deer come to us. And it work way beyond expectation.
In my area a lot of people are now doing it and only hunting their plots with bows. One gets a whole different outlook on hunting after doing this and it is really nice to see all the people doing this. I feel nothing but good comes from this over the days when we hunted by vehicle, walking miles and fighting with neighbors or other hunters over the stupid enough reasons. db

How late in August do you plant your brassicas? How far developed do they get before hard frost?

 

[db-2]

I planted at various times in August including earlier and late by the canadian border. Will depend on the time the hard frost comes, so no magic time. Gets around knee high, bush out but have had them only 6-9" tall and not so good. so if you feel a earlier frost plant earlier in August. But you need a hard frost to get the sugar from the roots to the leaves and you want a bunch of leaves for the deer to eat on. Winter greens from Whitetail institute along with rape and kale from other seed companies. If they go to seed I do not know but I believe mine have never got that far along. they will stay green after the frost and by spring there is little left. then if you have moose they will come and eat it all, damn things. db

 

[sponsy12]

Spraying round up in the fall as with any chemical really does a good job of killing vegetation off for the next spring.
But fishin as you stated one can really have a good time working on this and the results will be great over time.

Their are chemicals for clover and have found that round up does a poor job on certain weeds including clover. My one plot of clover is fine but another has grass growing in it so I plan to shortly to put some round up on the clover and see if the grass dies and the clover lives. May set it back somewhat but hope it will work. db

If you want to kill just the grass go to your local elevator or agronomy shop and get a gallon of generic clethodim, they sell for $50-60 and kill just grasses so it actually will not hurt the clover at all. could even add a little bit of vegatable oil (which would be similar to a crop oil that farmers use) or something of the like to make it work a little better. A gallon will last a long time as the use rate is 4-6 oz per acre

 

[Putz ND]

I'll try to post a photo later, but my food plot is nearly 100% failure. 4.5 acres of corn and beans eaten off as sprouts. I need some population control before we'll be having much success.

 

[db-2]

what ate em? was it ate in soil or once above? just curious. db

 

[MarbleEyez]

I planted about 20AC worth of soybeans on the 8th of June. Very few have emerged yet. I dug up about 20 seeds and most haven't even sprouted yet. I did have several that sprouted and then dried up. Haven't got more than .50 of rain in the last 3 weeks. Not sure how long those soybeans can lay in the ground until their toast. Boy are the deer going to be upset.....

 

[db-2]

There's always brassica later if it rains. Work the soil up before planting to hopefully get moisture for the seeds.
sucks but then there is bait in the end. Db